Valve service tool

ABSTRACT

THE TOOL INCLUDES A HANDLE A FOOT MEMBER RIGIDILY ATTACHED TO ITS LOWER END. A PLATE IS PIVOTABLY ATTACHED TO THE HANDLE SO THAT A JAW, FORMED ON ONE END OF THE PLATE, CLOSES AGAINST ONE EDGE OF THE FOOT MEMBER, AND A LEG IS FORMED ON THE OTHER END PORTION OF THE PLANE. IN RESPONSE TO A LATERAL FORCE APPLIED TO THE UPPER END OF THE HANDLE THE TOOL PIVOTS ON THE LEG AGAINST A SURFACE OF THE WHEEL RIM SO AS TO CAUSE THE JAW TO CLOSE ON A VALVE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE JAW AND THE FOOT MEMBER, AND TO EXERT ON THE VALVE A FORCE HAVING A COMPONENT NORMAL TO THE WHEEL RIM SURFACE ENCOMPASSING THE VALVE. THE PLATE IS CONFIGURED SO THAT IN THE ABSENCE OF APPLIED FORCES THE JAW ASSUMES A PREDETERMINED OPENED POSITION WHEREBY THE TOOL MAY BE EASILY POSITIONED WITH THE JAW ENCOMPASSING THE VALVE STEM.

Feb. l6, 1971 w. E. EARL 3,562,891

` VALVE SERVICE TOOL Filed July 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV/Arron W/ /AM E. EAQL Feb. 16, 1971 w. E. EARL 3,562,891

VALVE SERVICE TOOL Filed July 24, 196s 2 sheets-sheet @YM /W United States Patent O1 Fee 3,562,891 Patented Feb. 16, 1971 U.S. Cl. 29-221.5 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The tool includes a handle having a foot member rigidly attached to its lower end. A plate is pivotably attached to the handle so that a jaw, formed on one end of the plate, closes against one edge of the foot member; and a leg is formed on the other end portion of the plate. In response to a lateral force applied to the upper end of the handle the tool pivots on the leg against a surface of the wheel rim so as to cause the jaw to close on a valve disposed between the jaw and the foot member, and to exert on the valve a force having a component normal to the wheel rim surface encompassing the valve. The plate is icongured so that in the absence of applied forces the jaw assumes a predetermined opened position whereby the tool may be easily positioned with the jaw encompassing the valve stem.

The tip portion of the handle is adapted for removing broken valves from themounting hole in the wheel rim.

The invention relates to a valve service tool and more particularly to a tool for installing and removing valves for tubeless pneumatic tires.

Valves for tubeless tires are conventionally installed onto a wheel rim by pulling the valve through a mounting hole until the valve is seated on the rim; and a conventional valve removal method is to pull the valve completely through the mounting hole. Prior to the subject invention the servicing of valves for tubeless tires has usually been accomplished by tools having a threaded cap member adapted for screwing onto the end portion of the metal cylinder part of the valve stem. In one such tool the cap is attached by a wire cable to a handle and the valve is serviced by pulling directly on the handle without any mechanical increase in the applied force. In another prior art tool the cap is attached to one of a pair of pivotably connected elongated members, with the other one of the members being adapted for attaining leverage against an outer circumferential edge of the wheel rim. In using this just described tool the major component of the force applied to the valve is not normal to the area of the rim surrounding the valve mounting hole and are therefore excessive applied force is required. Although these prior art devices have been utilized for many years for servicing valves for tubeless tires they not only require that considerable force be applied by the user thereof, but eXtra time is required to thread the cap portion of the tools onto the cylindrical metal portion of the valve stem. Further the prior art tools by applying force directly to the cylindrical metal member of the stem can possibly damage the valve by weakening the bond between the rubber and metal members of the valve.

One of the principal objects of the present invention therefore is to provide a tool for easily and quickly servicing valves for tubeless tires.

Another object of the subject invention is to provide a tool, for installing and removing valves for tubeless tires, which is simple and economical to manufacture and etlicient to use.

A further object of the subject invention is to provide a tool for servicing valves for tubeless tires wherewith the removal and installation of the valves is an easy onehanded operation.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a valve service tool in accordance with the principles of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the valve service tool of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the tool of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a front view, partially broken away, of a segment of a wheel rim with a valve installed therein and with the service tool of the subject invention positioned for installing or removing the valve.

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a front View, partially broken away, of a segment of a wheel rim with a portion of a valve installed therein and with the tool of the subject invention positioned for removing a broken portion of the valve from the rim.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a second embodiment of the valve service tool in accordance with the subject invention.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a third embodiment of the valve service tool in accordance with the subject invention.

FIG. l() is a front view of the tool of FIG. 9, positioned for servicing a valve shown in phantom.

Referring now to the drawings, one embodiment of the subject invention, chosen for the purpose of illustration, is shown in FIGS. 1 through 7. The valve service tool, indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, includes an elongated handle 12 having a right angled flange or foot member 14 formed on a rst end portion thereof and a tip 15 formed on a second end. A handle grip 13, which may be composed of a plastic material for example, is snugly fitted over the second end of the handle 12, with the tip 15 protruding through the grip 13.

A plate 16 is pivotally attached to the handle 12 by any conventional means, such as a rivet 17 for example. On a rst end portion of the plate 16 is formed an elongated concave jaw 18, and on a second end portion of the plate 16 is a leg 19 which protrudes outwardly from the handle 12. The plate 16 is so mounted to the handle 12 that a bottom portion of the jaw 18 may close against a face 20 of the flange 14. Further the plate 16 is so constructed that the center of gravity of the plate is located between the rivet 17 and an edge 21 of the leg 19.

Due to the location of the center of gravity of the plate 16 the jaw 18 automatically assumes the open position shown in FIGS. 1 through 4. In this normally open position of the jaw 18, a bottom portion 22 of the plate 16 engages a rear edge 23 of the flange 14. The bottom portion 22 is cut away in such a configuration that the distance 24 (FIG. 2) between the face 20 and the jaw 18 is of a selected value.

To install a valve, hereinafter referred to as the stem, 26 onto a wheel rim 27, the upper body portion 28 of the valve is first inserted through a mounting hole 29 formed in an annular rim flange 30. The tool 11 is then positioned so that the valve stem 28 is disposed between the inner face 31 of the jaw 18 and the flange face 20; and so that a bottom portion 32 of the leg 19` is in engagement with the annular rim ange 30. It should be noted that due to the design in the plate 16, as discussed previously, the jaw 18 is normally in the open position shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 so that the tool 11 may be positioned to encompass the valve stem 28 without adjustment by the operator. The displacement 24 between jaw 18 and the face 20 of the flange 14 is determined by the configuration of the cut-out portion 22 of the bottom of the plate 16; which configuration is selected so that the displacement 24 will accommodate the largest diameter valve to be serviced. A lateral force applied to the upper end of handle 12, in the direction indicated by the arrow 25, causes the tool 11 to pivot at the point of engagement between the leg 19 and the annular rim flange 30, thereby causing the valve stem 28 to be gripped lbetween the jaw 18 and the face 20 of the flange 14. It is important to note that the concave configuration of the jaw 18 limits the maximum degree of compression of the valve stem 28, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the valve 26. In particular the front faces 41 and 42 on the jaw 18 (FIG. l) serve as positive stops on the degree of closure of the jaw 18 against the face 20 of the flange 14. Continued force applied to the handle 12 after closure of the jaw 18, provides a force normal to the area of the annular rim flange 30` surrounding the mounting hole 291. In response to this continued force the valve 26 may be pulled through the mounting hole 29 until the Valve is properly seated with the upper annular seating ridge 33 and the bottom seal portion 34 thereof securely closing the mounting hole 29.

Customarily the valve 26 has a body 36 with upstanding stem portion 28 composed of a resilient material, such as rubber, with a metallic cylindrical core member 3S extending partially into the body 36. For best performance in the just described installation procedure preferably the valve stem 28 is gripped by the tool 11 in such a manner that the face engages the stem 28 below the point at which the valve core 35 extends into the valve. The face 20 of the ange 14 acts as a second jaw which in conjunction with the jaw 18 grips the valve" stern 28. Having the face 20 engage the stern 28 below the metal core 35 provides a firmer hold because the rubber portion of the valve stem 28 is compressed by the viselike action of the jaws 18 and 20. Further by gripping the valve below the metal core 35, the possibility of damage to the bond between the core and the body 36 is reduced.

Although only a single style Wheel rim 27 is shown herein, it will be appreciated that the tool 11 is readily adaptable for installing and removing valve stems associated with any style wheel rim. For example, if the mounting hole 29 were formed in an inner shoulder 37, contiguous to the annular ange 30, the tool would be utilized in a manner similar to that described previously except that the leg member 19 would be pivoted against a surface of the shoulder 37; that is the tool would be mounted in a position outwardly rotated ninety degrees from the center of the wheel rim 27, relative to the position depicted in FIG. 5. So as to increase the ease of use of the tool 11 for the just mentioned wheel rim configuration the arcuate jaw 18 has a substantially flat face 38 formed on an outer surface of the jaw 18. This shape of the face 38 allows maximum clearance between the jaw 18 and the annular liange 30 when the tool 11 is used on wheel rims where the leg member 19 is pivoted on an inner wheel rim surface that is substantially normal to the annular flange 30.

For removing a valve 26 from the wheel rim 27, the tool 11 is mounted on the rim so as to grip the valve stem 28 in a similar manner to that described for the installation step. However, for removal of the valve the force applied to the handle 12 is increased until the bottom seal 34 is pulled through the mounting hole 29. Occasionally in removing old or defective valves, the valve stem 28 may break during the removal step leaving the lower portion of the valve 26 (see FIG. 7). The tip 15 formed on the upper end of the handle may be forced into the mounting hole 29, as indicated by the arrow 42, to punch out this broken valve segment.

Other embodiments of the subject invention chosen for the purpose of illustration are shown in FIG. 8 through l0. The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is designated generally by the reference numeral 11a and parts identical to those described previously are given identical reference numbers, and those parts which are modified are given corresponding numbers with the letter a added thereto. Similarly in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 modified parts are designated by the corresponding reference numbers with the addition of the letter b.

In the embodiment shown fragmentarily in FIG. 8, the valve service tool 11a has a concave opening 40 formed in the face 20a of the flange 14 so that the opening 40 is alignable with the concave face 31 of the jaw 18. The opening 40 reduces the degree of compression of the valve stem 28 and the diameter of the opening 40 may be selected so that the tool does not compress the stem 28 to any greater degree than is necessary to establish a firm grip upon the stem. Further in the embodiments of FIGS. 8 through 10 a boot 41 of a resilient material, such as plastic for example, is shown firmly fitted over the bottom portion 32 of the leg member 19. The boot 41 prevents marring of the finish of the annular flange 30 during the installation or removal of the valve 26.

In the embodiment of the tool 11b shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 the face 20b of the fiange 14 is extended vertically and is serrated. The extension and serration of the face 20b improves the gripping capability of the tool, and the face 20 may be slightly inclined from the vertical by an amount corresponding to the taper of conventional valve stems. The inclination of the face 20h provides a more uniform contact with the valve stem 28, thereby providing a better distribution of the force applied to the stem.

Thus there has been described a simple and inexpensive valve service tool which converts the previously difficult task of installing and removing valve stems to a simple one-handed operation. While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of the Letters Patent is:

1. A tool for installing a valve for a tubeless pneumatic tire, by pulling the valve from a partially to a fully inserted position in a valve hole of a wheel rim, without internal damage to the valve, comprising:

an elongated handle adapted to be vertically disposed and having a foot member projecting at essentially a right angle from the lower end of said handle;

a generally fiat plate disposed in a generally vertical plane above said foot member, said plate being elongated in a horizontal direction and having first and second ends which project beyond the respective sides of said foot member;

means pivotally fastening said plate to said handle at a point above said foot member so that said plate may reciprocate in said generally vertical plane, thus bringing one of said plate ends closer to said foot member and the other farther away from said foot member, or vice versa;

said first end of said plate being curved outward in the horizontal plane away from said handle to form a vertically extending concave jaw, said jaw having a closed position in which its lower corners engage the associated side of said foot member;

said second end of said plate being made heavier than said first end whereby said jaw is normally open;

said jaw opening far enough from said foot `member to accept the enlarged end of the tapered valve portion loosely therebetween, and said jaw when closed grasping the entire length of the valve and compressing the lower end portion of the valve but to a degree limited by the engagement of said jaw corners with said foot member;

said second end of said plate forming a leg projecting beyond and also extending below the associated side of said foot member;

whereby after the valve is grasped by said jaw, the

upper end of said handle may be pulled in a direction parallel to said leg, thereby engaging the leg end with the wheel rim and pulling the valve vertically upward.

2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second end of said plate is inclined at a small angle away from said handle so that said leg engages the wheel rim in approxi-mate alignment with the center of the valve.

3. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second end of said plate is of approximately rectangular configuration, but having a portion of its lower and inner edge cut away so that in the free-hanging position of said plate said leg depends substantially :below said foot member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 513,591 1/1894 Moss 29-267X 943,322 12/1909 Soles 254-131 2,947,073 8/1960 Boyer 29-221.5

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner 

